worry

American  

[wur-ee, wuhr-ee] / ˈwɜr i, ˈwʌr i /

verb (used without object)

worried, worrying

1. to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.

2. to move with effort.

   an old car worrying uphill.

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verb (used with object)

worried, worrying

1. to torment with cares, anxieties, etc.; trouble; plague.

   Synonyms:

   distress, badger, hector, harry, tease

2. to seize, especially by the throat, with the teeth and shake or mangle, as one animal does another.

3. to harass by repeated biting, snapping, etc.

noun

plural

worries

1. a worried condition or feeling; uneasiness or anxiety.

   Synonyms:

   fear, misgiving, disquiet, solicitude, apprehension

2. a cause of uneasiness or anxiety; trouble.

3. the act of worrying.

4. Fox Hunting. the action of the hounds in tearing to pieces the carcass of a fox.

verb phrase

1. worry along / through to progress or succeed by constant effort, despite difficulty.

   to worry through an intolerable situation.

idioms

1. no worries, Also not to worry

   1. Don’t be worried or troubled; everything will be fine.

      We'll help you move your stuff, no worries!

   2. (used as a conventional reply to thank you or thanks).

      Oh, no worries, it was fun having you come with us!

worry British  

/ ˈwʌrɪ /

verb

1. to be or cause to be anxious or uneasy, esp about something uncertain or potentially dangerous

2. (tr) to disturb the peace of mind of; bother

   don't worry me with trivialities

3. (intr; often foll by along or through) to proceed despite difficulties

4. to struggle or work

   to worry away at a problem

5. (tr) (of a dog, wolf, etc) to lacerate or kill by biting, shaking, etc

6. to bite, tear, or gnaw (at) with the teeth

   a dog worrying a bone

7. (tr) to move as specified, esp by repeated pushes

   they worried the log into the river

8. (tr) to touch or poke repeatedly and idly

9. obsolete to choke or cause to choke

10. informal you need not worry

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noun

1. a state or feeling of anxiety

2. a person or thing that causes anxiety

3. an act of worrying

4. informal an expression used to express agreement or to convey that something is proceeding or has proceeded satisfactorily; no problem

Usage

What are other ways to say worry? The noun worry means “a worried condition or feeling.” How does worry compare to synonyms care and concern? Learn more on Thesaurus.com. 

Related Words

Worry, annoy, harass all mean to disturb or interfere with someone's comfort or peace of mind. To worry is to cause anxiety, apprehension, or care: to worry one's parents. To annoy is to vex or irritate by continued repetition of interferences: to annoy the neighbors. Harass implies long-continued disturbance, torment, or persecution: to harrass a creditor.

Other Word Forms

• worrier noun
• worriless adjective
• worrying adjective
• worryingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of worry

First recorded before 900; Middle English weryen, werwen, wyrwyn “to strangle, bite, harass,” Old English wyrgan “to strangle”; cognate with German würgen

Example Sentences

He worries most about the elderly looking for food in the garbage.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I think we're definitely going in the wrong direction if we need to worry about me having a cup with a logo of another club."

From BBC

But she worries this will matter little to the US "if it's not backed with consequences and actions".

From BBC

"We're definitely going in the wrong direction if we need to be worry about me having a cup with a logo of another club. Of course I would never do that. That's extremely stupid."

From Barron's

He can, in certain circumstances, strong-arm the world into realigning with his interests while sidestepping the tripwires that his predecessors worried would bring them down.

From Barron's

Related Words

• anguish
• apprehension
• concern
• doubt
• fear
• headache
• misery
• misgiving
• pain
• problem
• uncertainty
• uneasiness
• woe